Speed Dating
by HElizabethG
Summary: Random, fluffy AU one-shot. MERDER.


**A/N: This one-shot is actually for my creative writing final (I'm not going into details of how a fanfic is part of my final but, it is because my school is weird). It used to be longer but, again, it's for school and it's already over 8 pages on word. My teacher didn't want to read all of that.**

**So here it is. A fluffy, random one-shot. Enjoy!**

PS: Feel free to read Rose like a southern belle... my friend did it and... HI-LARIOUS. I just didn't want to go back and change all her dialogue.

XXX

"This is ridiculous!" exclaimed Meredith, crossing her arms over her sweater-clad chest. "I have no idea why you're making me go to this."

"Because you need it. It'll be good for you," insisted Addison, glaring at her pointedly. Addison crossed one knee over the other and straightened her tight pencil skirt as it bunched up at the top of her mile long legs. Her auburn red hair, cut into a bob, highlighted the porcelain white of her face and her green eyes sparkled in amusement as she looked at her best friend.

"How will talking to a bunch of guys who still live with their mothers, for five minutes each, be good for me?" she questioned as she reached up to tuck a golden lock of hair behind her ear.

"You haven't had a boyfriend in a long time. I don't think you've even gotten laid. This will help that."

Meredith sighed heavily, resting her head back on the worn, black leather of the backseat of the cab. "I'm in med school. I'm focusing on work and worrying about getting an internship. I don't want to worry about some guy."

"Come on Mer. It's only an hour or so of your life," she asserted. "Don't be a spoil sport. Go with the flow…or whatever."

"Fine," huffed Meredith. She looked discretely into the cab driver's rear view mirror through the plastic opening to check her appearance. Her blonde hair fell in light, natural waves down to her shoulders, framing her face perfectly. One small strand fell in front of her eyes. She brushed it away with a quick swish of her pointer finger. Noticing her chapped lips, she pulled out a two-dollar plastic cylinder of Chap Stick, and smoothed it over her damaged, peach colored lips.

"Good. 'Cause I'm sick of watching you sulk around."

"I'm not sulking. I just don't party like I used to," she insisted.

"You were more fun in college," sighed Addison dramatically. Meredith glared jokingly at her friend and reached one arm over to shove her gently.

XXX

"Remind me why I'm doing this?" Derek asked, rolling out a kink in his neck as they walked down a Manhattan sidewalk. A breeze blew towards them, ruffling Derek's perfectly coiffed raven curls. The cool New York evening produced a slight chill, not enough of one for a heavy jacket. The burning sun set along the horizon, making the sky erupt in brilliant hues of orange, red, and blue. Like usual, the streets of New York City bustled with pedestrian traffic, forcing the two large men to maneuver the crowds to reach their destination.

"Because, you're pathetic," replied his best friend Mark.

"No, _this_ is pathetic."

"Come on. It's a good way to find some desperate girls," he assured his friend with his signature Cheshire cat grin, clapping him heartily on the back. "Desperate ones are the most vulnerable. And, you only have to talk to them for five minutes. If they're god awful, that's it. Arividerchi, sayonara. If they're hot, you take down their number and call them once for sex."

"And that's not disgusting?" questioned Derek, an eyebrow quirked in a mixture of amusement and disgust.

"I know you're a pussy 'relationship' guy. So, look for a nice one."

Derek rolled his eyes and grudgingly followed Mark into the room set up for the speed-dating event. The room was airy but had a heavy smell of alcohol and cigarettes, streaming from the bar on one side of the room. The scent of the bar was seemingly masked by something resembling an unpleasant flowery air freshener, combining to form a grotesque redolence. Women of all statures filled one side of each square table, lined in a four by three arrangement.

A general atmosphere of nervousness and curiosity settled on the room like a thick fog. Women fiddled with their bracelets, shifted pencils side to side while the men shifted on the balls of their feet, back and forth in a calming rhythm. Mark and Derek strode confidently towards the white, tablecloth covered sign in table. After signing in they stood off to the side with the other men, waiting to begin. Unlike Derek and Mark, the other men seemed like they were terrified to be in a room with so many women potentials.

A few minutes passed before a plump woman called for attention before proceeding to explain the event. With a steady voice, she spoke for a minute or two before reaching to her left to ring a bell. It's high pitched ring signaled the beginning of the event. Men were instructed to start taking seats at tables across from a female partner and begin conversing.

"Hi, I'm Derek," he said to the woman as he sat down across from her. She was pretty in a general sense of the word but he did note her facial structure vaguely resembled a that of a horse's.

"Hi," she grinned widely, exposing large, horse-like teeth. "I'm Rose." She extended a graceful hand to him over the table. He reached to take it, surprised by her very firm grip.

"Nice to meet you," he replied politely.

"You too. So, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a surgical resident at Mount Sinai," said Derek.

"I bet your hands work wonders in _and_ out of the OR," she replied saucily, taking his hands in hers. She rubbed the rougher skin of his manly hands against her delicate soft ones.

He coughed uncomfortably. "Oh I... uh..."

"You're adorable!" she giggled. "And that hair..."

Derek cringed as Rose's hand slid up towards his hair. "So what do you do," he asked, jerking his head out of her reach.

"I'm a scrub nurse."

"Do you like it?" he questioned courteously.

"Yeah. Except, I have to deal with cocky arrogant surgeons all the time," she groaned, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Oh."

Rose gasped. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean…"

"Oh no. It's… nothing," he shook his head, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Surgeons do have a tendency to develop egos."

She grinned saucily at him, sliding her foot up his leg leg. Her bare toes tapped against his thigh over his slacks. Derek's eyes widened in surprise and he jerked his leg away. Rose smiled flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes. "You don't have to resist me Dr. Shepherd," she told him, sliding her foot near his crotch on the chair, lightly brushing her toes over it. "We both know how much we want each other."

"You're coming on a little strongly," he coughed awkwardly, scooting his chair as far away from the table as he could, with out others noticing.

"So?" questioned Rose, battling her eyelashes.

"I'm just a little... uncomfortable with it."

She just smiled. "That's cute." Neither said another word for the remaining minutes, creating an almost unbearable, awkward silence. Finally, the bell rang, liberating him. Derek quickly stood up and dashed to the next table.

"Hi," he said, sitting down. The woman in front of him hardly looked like a woman; she looked more like her mother had just driven her to the hotel from high school. she just graduated from high school. Brown hair fell in front of her face and her bright eyes sparkled with an annoying innocence.

"Hi," she replied cheerily. "I'm April."

"Derek, he replied.

"I love that name," she gushed. "What do you do, Derek?"

"I'm a surgeon."

April gasped excitedly. "A surgeon? That's so cool! I bet you're a great surgeon. I'm in med school. I totally want to be a surgeon. It's just so cool, saving lives and what not."

"Yeah," he nodded, noting that she seemed eager but nice.

"It's so different 'cause I have two sisters and neither are going to any kind of graduate school. I'm the only one. I'm like the prize of my whole town. I came from a really small town in Ohio and like no one there is a surgeon so, I'm the star. My parents are so proud. They're corn farmers," she rambled in her high-pitched, childish voice filled with excitement. Derek just flashed her a fake smile and nodded. "So, what's your family like?"

"I have four sisters so, loud," he exhaled.

April laughed boisterously, tilting her head back. He arched his brow in confusion, not understanding the humor of what he said. "I wish I had four sisters. That would be awesome. I mean, two is great but four would just be so much greater."

"When you're the only boy, it isn't so great," he shrugged. She giggled loudly again.

There was an uncomfortable lull in the conversation, both parties either uncomfortable or out of things to say. After a few more minutes the bell rung and Derek happily stood up to move to the next table.

XXX

Across the room, Meredith wasn't having much better luck. The first guy who sat at her table was a pudgy, short, twenty-eight years old, lived in his mother's basement, and wore a Star Trek t-shirt. He'd been nice but, not the type of guy she was looking for. Truthfully, she wasn't looking that hard; relationships weren't her thing. She just had sex with guys then kicked them out the next morning. It was easy, simple, clean.

The guy sitting across from her, the second man, came on extraordinarily strongly to the point that he actually licked her hand. The shrill sound of the bell rang though out the room, saving her from more come-ons by the 'hand lick-er'. A few seconds later the next man walked up sat down across from her.

Meredith looked at him, dazed. Guy number three was clad in a pair of dark, blue jeans and a blue polo that brought out the vibrant cobalt tones in his blue eyes. His wavy raven hair was perfectly styled, not one single hair out of place. She noted that his nose was slightly crooked, possibly from an adolescent injury but instead of being unattractive it gave his otherwise perfect face character. His dreamy smile was the kind that made girls weak at the knees. Though she tried to keep up a facade of being disinterested, the smile cut though her resolve like a skilled surgeon with a ten blade.

"Hi, I'm Derek," he told her, a bit flustered. She was beautiful. Golden tresses framed her porcelain face giving her an angelic look. Unlike the girls he'd dated in the past she didn't wear an abundance of make up which accentuated her natural beauty. Her perfect curves were clad in a tight fitting sweater and jeans, unlike the rest of the female patrons who were dressed in slutty tops and tight, short skirts. She was a refreshing change as well as a beautiful sight. Derek extended a hand to her in greeting.

"Meredith," she smiled, shaking his hand across the table.

"Do you come to these things a lot?" he questioned.

"First time. A friend dragged me here, you?"

"Same. Apparently I need a girlfriend so I won't be boring and mope-y," grinned Derek.

"Me too," giggled Meredith, making a grin break out on his face. Her giggle was completely intoxicating. "Or, not a girlfriend... a boyfriend. I don't swing that way. Not that I have a problem with people who do... I uh- sorry. I'm rambling. I do that when I'm nervous."

He grinned. "I think it's cute."

"Really?" she asked, twisting the watch on her wrist back and forth.

"It's adorable," assured her Derek, placing his hand on top of hers. "So, Meredith, what's your story?"

"I don't have a story. I'm just a girl at a stupid speed dating thing."

"You've got to give me more than that," he said lightheartedly.

"Um... I'm a med school student," she posed. "I'm studying to be a surgeon."

"Yeah. I plan to go into surgery."

"Really? I'm a surgical resident," said Derek.

"Specialty?"

"I haven't declared yet but, I want to go into neurosurgery," he smiled.

"Why? I mean, not to pry. I just thought..." Meredith trailed off nervously, biting her lip, a nervous habit.

"It's fine. I usually just tell people because it interests me the most…"

"But, what's the real reason?" she questioned.

"It's the head gear," he grinned making Meredith giggle.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"I've never heard anyone say that before."

"Well, I'm special," smiled Derek, leaning back in his chair confidently.

"You really like yourself. Don't you?" asked Meredith playfully.

"Don't all surgeons have an ego?"

"Very true," she confirmed. "So, why surgery in general? Oh, sorry, I'm prying."

"Not at all," said Derek, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Both felt the spark of electricity shoot through their arms as their hands met. Suddenly, the rest of the room disappeared and it was just the two of them sitting in a cozy bubble of chemistry. They were momentarily taken back, their eyes clashing in a blaze of blue and green. "The quiet," he finally answered.

"The quiet?" she asked, confused.

"Most surgeons would usually tell you it was because of the high, the rush, the thrill that comes from cutting someone open and saving their life. But, it's different for me. Probably because I grew up in a house with four sisters," Derek smiled. His eyes began to glaze over with a euphoric sheen. "It was the quiet that drew me to surgery. The operating room is a quiet place. Peaceful. It has to be in order for us to stay alert, anticipate complications. When you stand in the OR, your patient open on the table, suddenly you're alone and nothing else matters besides saving that life. All the world's noise, all the worry and annoyance that it brings disappears. A calm settles over you. For that moment, you feel completely at peace."

Meredith stared at him in awe. As a student, she'd spoken to multiple surgeons especially about their motives to become a surgeon but none spoke like Derek. He spoke with passion in his voice. He wasn't chasing a high; his motives were from his metaphorical heart. He'd actually thought about why he wanted to be a surgeon. "Wow."

"Wow?"

"That was just well said. I've never heard a surgeon give any reason like that," she said honestly.

"What about you? Why do you want to go into surgery?"

"I-I'm not sure. I guess there are a few reasons," shrugged Meredith.

"Such as…"

"Well my mother always says I don't have what it takes to be a surgeon. So, proving her wrong is part of my reason. But, most of it is, the high. Saving lives."

"How does your mother know what it takes to be a surgeon?"

"She's Ellis Grey," mumbled Meredith, unhappily.

"The Ellis Grey?" he asked, astounded. "Of the Grey Method?" She nodded solemnly. Sensing that her mother was a sore topic for Meredith he attempted to come up with a new topic. "What do you like to do in your free time?"

"What free time?" she chuckled. "I'm a med school student."

Derek laughed. "I remember those days. I can't say it gets much better. It actually gets worse when you're an intern then gets a little better in your residency."

"I already know what I'm getting into," she nodded sadly. "It's a lot of work but I think I can handle it."

"I bet you can," said Derek dreamily. Meredith smiled. He didn't even know her yet, he still had confidence in her success. "New topic," he said. "What's your favorite ice cream?"

"That's a random questioned."

"Just answer," he pressed with a grin.

"Strawberry," she smiled. "Yours?"

"Coffee."

"Favorite novel?"

"The Sun Also Rises."

"Very... manly choice," grinned Meredith.

"It's a great book," he defended.

"All about male veterans."

"Touché," he smiled. "What about you? Are you a girly book lover or are you a classics girl?"

"Little Woman," answered Meredith.

"So, a combination."

"I guess so," she said, a smile playing at her lips.

"Dogs or cats?"

"Dogs, definitely."

"Good answer, he smiled, then paused momentarily. "Go out to dinner with me tomorrow," proposed Derek abruptly, grinning widely.

"What?" said Meredith, taken back by the sudden forwardness of his words.

"Dinner, food, carbs in a basket..."

"I know what dinner is," she laughed. "I just thought you're supposed to write my name down on the paper and they contact us both if I put your name down too."

"Yes, that is what I'm supposed to do but I'm doing it this way It's more romantic…normal," he kidded. "I'm defying order. Go out with me."

Meredith barely pondered it before nodding 'yes' with a smile. She took his hand, writing her number down on the back of it. Before their conversation could continue the bell rang. "It was really nice meeting you, Derek," she smiled.

"You too," he grinned back, standing up from the small table. His hand brushed hers lightly as he stood sending chills up his arm.

_Maybe speed dating wasn't so pathetic._


End file.
